'Are cheap chicks chic?' Poll discussion & results

Alykes

It would be an ideal world if we could all stop buying battery eggs and hens, and if I earned only 5% of what Jamie Oliver and the likes earn, I would gladly do so. Until then, Jamie & Co.....get real!!

PayPeanuts_2

I dont understand how you can't afford to stop buying something?

Surely you can substitute with far, far cheaper non meat products, eg vegetables?

It is a cheats way out to say my morals dont like it but my wallet can't afford it.

Fair play to all those who say their morals don't care, but if you do care don't hide behind your budget as an excuse. You don't have to eat chicken.

Tiglet

The people saying that they can't afford not to buy cheap chicken are missing the point. It's not the cost that forces them to eat it, since it can be much cheaper (and healthier!) to avoid meat altogether.

I think it's often simply the idea that there must be something missing if there's no meat in a main meal. If that's the case, then why not have a hunt around the net for some cheap veggy recipes and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results, and there's a terrific view from up here on the moral high ground:p

ceridwen

Me too Tiglet - I rather like the moral high ground as you put it. I do hesitate to condemn others....but there ARE times when I am very severely tempted!

I just dont understand how anyone can see (or think of) another sentient being and not realise they have feelings too. One presumes those people selfish enough to demand to eat meat regardless of the conditions the animals producing it have been kept in have never had a pet....at least I sincerely hope not. Could they honestly imagine treating a beloved pet cat or dog that way? Well....apply that same logic to other animals as well. (edit: well - one lives and learns - apparently people who do condemn chickens to maltreatment can, in the next breath, talk about the pet animals they keep.......)

(oh ...g..d ...forgot ...there are "people" who go in for mistreating pet animals as well....the sort that think its good "fun" to use some poor kitten as a "football" in a "game" for instance). Of course animals are "human" in a sense too....isnt it obvious?

hmmmmm...."people who dont give a damn about anyone except themselves".....couldnt have put it better myself.

JCD_Capulet

ceridwen wrote: »

I'm puzzled as to why that matters I wasnt aware ones health depended on eating meat - I'm perfectly healthy despite it being literally years since I ate any meat - and, yes, one of the reasons I am vegetarian is I cant afford ethically-produced meat.

Well unlike you cerdwen I'm not healthy, I'm ill. I've a variety of problems and going vegetarian (which tbh I find kinda silly seeing as human beings are built to be carnivores) against my will to apease the bunny hugging masses will not make me any better.There's a reason that a vast majority of vegtetarians need to take vitamin suppliments with their meals, the reason being that through choosing to consume only fruit and veg they are willingly depriving their bodies of the nutrients which would be derived from a normal diet which includes meat.

People, I've said my piece now please get off my back.

JCD_Capulet

PayPeanuts wrote: »

I dont understand how you can't afford to stop buying something?

Surely you can substitute with far, far cheaper non meat products, eg vegetables?

It is a cheats way out to say my morals dont like it but my wallet can't afford it.

Fair play to all those who say their morals don't care, but if you do care don't hide behind your budget as an excuse. You don't have to eat chicken.

Is this aimed at me? I never said I can't afford to stop eating it. If you read my posts you'll have noticed that I said previously that I need to SAVE MONEY from my £5pw food budget over the space of 2-3 weeks to be able to buy myself a chicken.

Why would I want to substitute the only meat I consume with MORE vegetables? I already eat fruit, veg, pulses and grain, I'm not cutting out meat completely and I'm not going to quit eating chicken to eat something else because someone on the internet told me to.

I'll not have my morals questioned by some faceless judgemental nobody on the internet either, thanks.

Tindella_2

JCD_Capulet wrote: »

Well unlike you cerdwen I'm not healthy, I'm ill. I've a variety of problems and going vegetarian (which tbh I find kinda silly seeing as human beings are built to be carnivores) against my will to apease the bunny hugging masses will not make me any better.There's a reason that a vast majority of vegtetarians need to take vitamin suppliments with their meals, the reason being that through choosing to consume only fruit and veg they are willingly depriving their bodies of the nutrients which would be derived from a normal diet which includes meat.

People, I've said my piece now please get off my back.

Well, I'm sorry you are unwell, but do you seriously think shoving battery reared chicken in you is going to improve your health, with all those chemicals inside it and it having spent its poor, short miserable life sitting in its own sh*t!

And as for "people getting on your back" - don't come on here if you can't take criticism - or are we all suppose to agree with you or shut up! Grow up!

Tiglet

JCDC: I don't think PayPeanuts was singling you out - you just happen to be the one who's put their head above the parapet. Regardless of your budget, though, you have to make a choice. Chicken is not the cheapest food available and, although it may not be your primary reason, there is a tradeoff between animal welfare and a diet including meat.

You both seem to be agreeing that there are cheaper foods than chicken, and it's up to you whether you eat it or not. But there are still people posting on the basis that cheap chicken is an economic necessity for poor people, which is simply wrong.

Ceridwen's point was perfectly fair. Other things being equal, it doesn't matter whether a person's diet contains meat or not. If your health imposes restrictions on your diet, then that makes you different from the average person that this discussion is concerned with. She wasn't trying to make you give up meat against your will - just raising the question, which you have answered.

On a purely factual point, vegetarians do not need to take mineral supplements. Even a strict vegan diet is deficient in only one nutrient, vitamin B12, which is itself available from non-animal sources. Also, the human body is not designed to be carnivorous. We lack the sharp teeth for tearing meat and have flat molars ideal for grinding a mostly vegetable diet.

I can understand that perhaps you're feeling picked on as the "token chicken eater" but I don't think you've done yourself any favours by calling people names and then asking them to leave you alone. People are more likely to treat your opinions with respect if you can do the same to them.

eva16006159

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

The conditions must be acceptable or the farms would be shut down so what's the problem??

How naive and wrong you are. The fact that anyone beleives that the cruel and in humane way that chickens are kept is ok, let alone right makes me question them as human beings. I am no animal rights campainer and I have no problem with eating meat, but how people can look at how these animals are treated and think thats its ok as long as they pay 50p less is amazing. I come from a low income single parent family with three kids and we could afford to buy free range so I dont buy the argument that people cant. It comes down to consumer greed. Have a little empathy and actually think properly if you can honestly say you beleive that its right.

eva16006159

brooksie77 wrote: »

We should just be letting the farmers get on with bringing us inexpensive poultry that we want to eat. It's hard enough already with all the regulations. It is quite remarkable to be so ungrateful about cheap, quality food (they may not be Bresse chickens, but they're not bad) – and these complaints usually emanate from the same kind of person who then rants about poor people going hungry. Or does that only apply to poor, photogenic brown people four thousand miles away?

What a load of crap, Honest farmers dont want to rear chickens this way, they do it because people buy it. People who moan they dont have enough income but spend money on alcohol, cigaretes and sky television.